Name: Dept. of Veterans Affairs enacts ‘immediate’ abortion ban
Uploaded: 2025-12-24T03:48:40.552Z
Duration: 5 min 30 s
Description: The Department of Veterans Affairs on Monday moved to fully implement a ban on most abortions for service members and their families.

The Department of Veterans Affairs on Monday moved to fully implement a ban on most abortions for service members and their families.

Washington

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has enacted an immediate ban on abortion services for veterans and their families, following a legal opinion from the Justice Department that found the previous Biden-era rule permitting some abortions was unlawful. The new policy, effective immediately, only allows abortion care when the life of the pregnant person is at risk, with no exceptions for cases of rape or incest.

The decision has prompted strong opposition from abortion rights supporters and several veterans organizations, particularly those representing female veterans. Critics highlight that over half of women veterans live in states where abortion is outlawed and that many have experienced sexual harassment or assault during service. The VA has not commented on whether exceptions will be made for rape or incest cases. The policy comes alongside the failure to expand in vitro fertilization services for veterans in the latest defense appropriations bill.

Dept. of Veterans Affairs enacts ‘immediate’ abortion ban

The Department of Veterans Affairs banning abortion services now for veterans. It comes five days after the Justice Department issued a legal opinion invalidating a 2022 Biden era rule That rule allowed the VA to provide abortions to vets and their dependents if it came as a result of rape incest or when the health Of the mother was in danger Scripps News White House producer and reporter Jacob garden Schwartz is live now with the latest in Jacob What can you tell us about this new and very controversial new new move? Yeah, good afternoon Del well new information that we've received today confirms that Effective yesterday the Department of Veterans Affairs has moved to ban abortions for service members and their families in almost all cases That's according to a memorandum by a senior department official authored yesterday And obtained by the legal nonprofit democracy forward that we ourselves have viewed That memo says that VA run health organizations are prohibited from providing abortion care or counseling except in specific cases where the life of the pregnant mother is at risk and as you noted at the top this comes after a Legal opinion authored by President Trump's Justice Department the Office of Legal Counsel Suggested that a previous decision by President Biden's Justice Department to allow Some abortion procedures for service members to be provided was unlawful President Biden's Justice Department had authored its own opinion concluding that it could do so now the Trump administration Coming up with a new analysis and finding that the former opinion was flawed a spokesperson for the Department of Veterans Affairs Confirming to Scripps News that this policy is effective immediately Telling us in an email quote DOJ's opinion states that VA is not legally authorized to provide abortions and the VA is Complying with it immediately DOJ's opinion is consistent with the VA's proposed rule which continues to work its way through the regulatory process So to that point the fact that the Veteran Affairs Association is banning abortions is not necessarily news This is something that Trump administration officials had announced earlier in the summer But in order to do so they had to go through the complex and often bureaucratic Regulatory process of filing proposed rules receiving comments then responding to those comments with this new Office of Legal Counsel opinion they are able to ban it effective immediately and it appears they've done just that Del So Jacob, what has been the reaction so far? Yeah, well as you might expect Supporters of abortion rights reproductive freedoms are aghast at this Those who oppose abortion rights pro-life individuals are significantly more supportive So we've seen, you know, the lawmakers in the House and the Senate But perhaps more surprisingly a number of veterans organizations Particularly those that support female veterans coming out strongly against this policy Lindsay Church the co-founder and executive director of Minority Veterans for America Saying in a statement that the ban is quote a direct attack on veterans freedoms including our right to make our own health care decisions She concludes abortion should not be a political issue But it is an issue that should not be a political issue She concludes abortion should not be a political issue It is necessary life-saving medical care and denying this care will put veterans and their loved ones in danger Now as I noted, this is not necessarily a new policy The news here is that it is being implemented as of yesterday And over the summer we did hear from some lawmakers as well as abortion rights supporters And sort of veteran advocates who were speaking out against what was then a proposal Among those was the CEO of the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America Listen to what she had to say For all of us who served downrange in Iraq and Afghanistan We were told that was one of the things we were fighting for We were told we were fighting for more rights for women And we were also told when we returned home We'd be afforded at least as many rights as those that we fought for for others And that promise is right now being broken Broken promises according to that individual And those who oppose this policy change point to a number of statistics First of all, that women are the fastest growing proportion of new military recruits That more than 50% of women veterans currently live in states where abortion is outlawed Of course after the Dobbs decision eliminated federal protections for abortion procedures And also that according to different surveys Upwards of about 1 in 3 female veterans report either facing sexual harassment Or even assault during their time in the military service And notably this new policy does not include any carve outs to provide abortions in cases of rape or incest We have asked the Veterans Affairs Department Whether they will be providing abortions in those cases Have not heard back as of yet This policy also coming as a second sort of blow for female veterans Who have been pursuing change in the annual defense appropriations bill There was an expectation as it worked its way through committees That in vitro fertilization IVF services would be expanded as a part of that defense authorization Ultimately though the final text that was released by Republican leaders Did not include that expanded authorization And so really a series of blows for female veterans from the Trump administration so far Dell The president said he was going to do just that Expand operations involving IVF Scripps News White House producer and reporter Jacob Garten-Schwartz for us Jacob as always we thank you very much

The US and Venezuela are in a war of words at the UN Security council following America's seizure of ships off Venezuela's coast. Venezuela's ambassador strongly condemned the U.S. actions, labeling them as extrajudicial executions and a military blockade intended to destabilize the country.

New York

U.S., Venezuela in war of words at UNSC over military strikes

Two people are dead after an explosion at a nursing home in Bristol, Pennsylvania, and several are still missing, Gov. Josh Shapiro said.

Bristol

Two dead, several missing after nursing home explosion in Pennsylvania

A Delaware state trooper was killed Tuesday during a shooting at a Wilmington DMV, the Delaware State Police said. The state's governor confirmed the shooter is also dead.

Wilmington

Delaware state trooper killed in DMV shooting, officials say

The Supreme Court ruled on Tuesday that President Trump cannot deploy the National Guard troops to Chicago as a legal challenge moves ahead.

Supreme Court blocks deployment of National Guard to Illinois

The Justice Department released a new trove of documents from its investigation into convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, including an email from a prosecutor indicating President Donald Trump had traveled aboard his private jet "many more times than previously has been reported."

Trump flew on Epstein jet 8 times according to newly released files

The Libyan army's chief of staff, Mohammed Ali Ahmed Al-Haddad, died in a plane crash after leaving Turkey's capital Ankara, the prime minister of Libya's internationally-recognized government said, adding that four others were on the jet as well.

Haymana

Libyan army's chief dies in plane crash in Turkey

Two men have been found guilty of plotting to kill hundreds in an Islamic State-inspired gun rampage against the Jewish community in England, a planned attack investigators say demonstrates the resurgent risk posed by the militant group.

Bolton

Two men found guilty of UK plot to kill Jews as IS fears grow

The FDA has approved the pill version of the weight loss drug Wegovy, the first oral medication of its kind. The new pills are expected to be available in a few weeks.

FDA approves Wegovy pill, first prescription pill for weight loss

French Parliament has approved the Stopgap Bill two days before Christmas. The budget bill now moves to French senate.

Parijs

French Parliament approves Stopgap Bill: Budget bill moves to senate

Russia fired more than 650 drones and three dozen missiles at Ukraine in a large-scale attack that began during the night and stretched into daylight hours Tuesday, officials said. At least three people were killed, including a 4-year-old child, two days before Christmas.

Kiev

Russia carries out massive drone attack on Ukraine's energy sector

The U.S. Department of Justice has released another batch of files related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, including videos, emails and documents. CBS News' Scott MacFarlane reports.

U.S. Justice Department releases new trove of Epstein files

The leaders of Denmark and Greenland insisted that the United States won't take over Greenland and demanded respect for their territorial integrity after President Donald Trump ‍​announced ​the appointment of a ‌special envoy to the semi-autonomous territory.

Nuuk

Trump's appointment of envoy to Greenland sparks tension with Denmark

Australia's most populous state is set to pass tougher gun laws, ban the display of terrorist symbols and curb protests after the state parliament's lower house cleared a bill late on Monday (December 22) in an emergency sitting following the Bondi mass shooting.

Council of the City of Sydney

Australia's NSW to tighten gun, hate speech laws after Bondi attack

On Monday, President Trump announced a new class of Navy battleships he's calling the "Golden Fleet." The president said two vessels will be built in the short term, with plans to expand to up to 25.

Trump unveils plans for new fleet of advanced Navy battleships

China's foreign ministry on Monday (December 22) said the United States' seizure of another country's ships was a serious violation of international law, after the U.S. intercepted a China-bound oil tanker off the Venezuelan coast.

Beijing

China says U.S. ship seizures ‘serious violation' of international law

A Russian general was killed by an explosive device underneath his car in Moscow, according to Russian investigators, who say Ukraine's intelligence services may have orchestrated the attack. Ukraine has not commented.

Moscow

Ukraine Invasion

Russian general killed in car explosion

The U.S. Coast Guard is pursuing an oil tanker in international waters near Venezuela, officials told Reuters on Sunday (December 21), in what would be the third operation in less than two weeks if successful.

Caracas

U.S. pursuing third oil tanker near Venezuela, officials say

At least 15 documents related to Jeffrey Epstein that were initially made public have been pulled from the Justice Department website. The agency says it will keep reviewing and redacting materials to "protect victims."

Epstein files pulled down to 'protect victims'

Nine people have died and at least ten others were wounded after a group of gunmen carried out a shooting at a South African pub during the early hours of Sunday, authorities said.

Bekkersdal

At least nine people killed in South Africa pub shooting

U.S. intelligence reports continue to warn that Russian President Vladimir Putin has not abandoned his aims of capturing all of Ukraine and reclaiming parts of Europe that belonged to the former Soviet empire, six sources familiar with U.S. intelligence said.

As peace talks go on, U.S. intel says Putin's war goals unchanged

A court in Pakistan has convicted and sentenced the imprisoned former Prime Minister Imran Khan and his wife, Bushra Bibi, to 17 years in prison after finding them guilty of retaining and selling state gifts, including jewelry given by Saudi Arabia in 2021.

Islamabad

Former Pakistani PM Imran Khan convicted to 17 years in prison

The U.S. seized an oil tanker off Venezuela's coast on Saturday. It's the second time in two weeks that U.S. forces have carried out such an action. This comes after President Donald Trump announced a block of "sanctioned oil vessels" entering and exiting Venezuela.

Oil tanker seized off Venezuela, second in two weeks

The Justice Department released more documents related to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein on Saturday after failing to meet Friday's deadline to release all the documents, as required by the law signed by President Trump last month. The Justice Department said the delay was, in part, to ensure that victims' information was protected.

Justice Department releases more Epstein documents Saturday

The U.S. Department of Justice released thousands of documents, photos and files related to late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein on Friday. But some Democrats are criticizing the partial release because the department had a deadline to release all of the files by end of Friday.

'Partial' release of Epstein files faces criticism

The United States military “hit the ISIS [ISIL] thugs in Syria”, President Donald Trump has said, a week after two US soldiers and an interpreter were killed in Syria’s Palmyra city. Trump said he “ordered a massive strike on the terrorists that killed our three great patriots last week”.

Damascus

Trump says U.S has launched large-scale attacks on ISIL in Syria

Ukraine said its drones hit a vessel from Russia's shadow fleet – the first such strike in the neutral waters of the Mediterranean Sea. Russia's shadow fleet transports sanctioned Russia oil by frequently changing flags and concealing ownership.

Ukraine strikes Russian shadow fleet tanker in Mediterranean sea

The U.S. Justice Department has released thousands of files relating to Jeffrey Epstein, including photos featuring people like former President Bill Clinton and Mick Jagger. However, survivors are concerned with how much information was redacted from the files.

Thousands of new Epstein files, photos released

The U.S. military launched large-scale strikes against dozens of Islamic State targets in Syria on Friday (December 19) in retaliation for an attack on American personnel, U.S. officials said.

U.S. hits ISIS in Syria with large retaliatory strikes

The man suspected of carrying out an attack in Taiwan with a smoke grenade and knife acted alone, police said on Saturday of the incident that killed at least four, including the attacker. This edit contains graphic images.

Taipei City

Taipei attacker acted alone, police say after three killed

The suspect in the Dec. 13 mass shooting on the campus of Brown University was found dead by suicide in a storage unit in Salem, New Hampshire, authorities said. He has been identified as 48-year-old Claudio Manuel Neves Valente, a former Brown grad student.

Breakdown